Union Government has identified 305 cities and towns across 9 states

Union Government has identified 305 cities and towns across 9 states for implementation of its flagship ‘Housing for All’ scheme. 305 cities were identified by Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) for beginning of construction of houses for the urban poor under the scheme. In this regard, HUPA Ministry will provide assistance of over 2 lakh crore rupees over the next six years for construction of houses  to enable two crore urban poor own their own houses. Selected cities and towns are in these states: Chhattisgarh (36 cities and towns), Gujarat (30), Jammu and Kashmir (19), Jharkhand (15), Kerala (15), Madhya Pradesh (74), Odisha (42), Rajasthan (40) and Telangana (34). These 9 states along with other 6 more states have signed Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with HUPA Ministry for their commitment to implement 6 mandatory reforms essential for making the housing for all mission successful in urban areas. 15 states which have agreed to implement the mandatory reform measures are Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Odisha, Telangana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. About Housing for All Scheme Union Government had launched this scheme named as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in June 2015 under the aegis of Housing for All by 2022 Mission. Under this ambitious scheme government plans to build two crore houses for the poor in urban areas by year 2022, which coincides with 75 years of Independence. It has four basic components viz. slum rehabilitation, affordable housing, credit linked interest subsidy and beneficiary-led individual house construction or enhancement.

India has inked an information Seychelles

India has inked an information exchange agreement on tax matters with Seychelles in order to curb tax evasion and boost its efforts to fight against black money. The agreement was signed after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Seychelles President James Alix Michel who is on three days visit to India. This pact will help India to curb tax evasion and also pave way for mutual assistance between the authorities of both nations to take action against suspected tax evaders along with other related matters. It should be noted that, this Indian Ocean island nation for long time was perceived as one of the preferred offshore havens for routing of funds though the foreign direct investments  (FDIs) were being small at just about 1,100 crore rupees over the last 15 years. Other 5 MoUs/Agreements signed are Presentation of Navigational chart related to Aldabra Island:  This island is the world’s second largest coral atop which is extremely isolated, making it virtually untouched by human. It is home to the world’s largest population of giant tortoises. Air Services Agreement: It will enable more and easier connections between both nations and help to expand cooperation in space, weather forecasting and disaster management, marine resources and fisheries advisory. MoU to provide one Dornier Maritime Aircraft: India will gift Seychelles one Dornier Maritime Aircraft for maritime security. MoU for Cooperation in agricultural research and education: It was signed between between Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Seychelles Agricultural Agency.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the proposal for payment of differential royalty in respect of 28 discovered fields to the respective State Governments concerned. These 28 discovered fields were awarded by the Union Government to different companies in states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Gujarat during the years 1994-95, 2001 and 2004. The royalty payment will be through budgetary allocation from the year 2015-16 onwards instead of Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB) fund. Financial Implication: The estimated expenditure for the year 2015-16 based on this payment mechanism has been estimated at 56 crore rupees of which 30 crore rupees for Arunachal Pradesh and 26 crore rupees for Gujarat. This expenditure is calculated assuming average crude oil price of 50 US dollars per barrel and one US dollar being equivalent to 60 rupees. Background The Standing Committee on Petroleum & Natural Gas (SCPNG) while examining the functioning of OIDB had recommended that differential Royalty to the concerned State Governments should be made through budgetary allocation, rather than OIDB fund in order to ensure proper utilization of the fund. What is Payment of differential royalty? In the approved proposal, payment of differential royalty is the difference between the rates of Royalty as per provisions of Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) and the notified rate of Royalty on crude oil production. What is current Royalty payment mechanism? Currently, OIDB pays differential Royalty to respective State Governments based on the Oilfields (Regulation & Development) Act, 1948 and Petroleum & Natural Gas Rules, 1959. In this case, the differential Royalty is the difference between the Royalty rates as per PSC and the notified rate of Royalty on crude oil production.

India and Australia have signed a Memorandum of Education

India and Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of education, research and training. The MoU was signed by Union Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD) Smriti Irani and her counterpart Christopher Pyne MP, Minister for Education and Training of Australia. It was signed after the 3rd meeting of the Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) which was held in New Delhi. The MoU seeks to intensify existing partnerships between both countries in higher education & research, including professional and technical education, vocational education, schools and training. It also seeks to open up new and innovative areas of cooperation. About Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) It is a bi-national body established in 2011. It was established as per commitment given by the Education Ministers of India and Australia to guide the strategic direction of the education, research and training partnership between the two countries. The AIEC is co-chaired by Education Ministers on both sides and consists of academia, industry and government. It meets in conjunction with the annual Australia-India Ministerial Dialogue on Education Cooperation.

Sehat telemedicine

Union Government has launched a telemedicine initiative dubbed as Sehat to provide healthcare facilities in rural areas in collaboration with Apollo Hospitals. This telemedicine initiative was launched by Union Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad at a function held in New Delhi. Key facts It will seek to provide quality and affordable healthcare services as it is one of the emerging needs of citizens in rural areas. Under the Sehat initiative people will be able to consult doctors through video link i.e. Vice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and also order generic drugs. It will use Common Service Centres (CSCs) for delivering tele-consultation services with support from Medanta and Apollo Hospitals in some areas. CSCs will promote sale of generic drugs through collaboration with Union Health Ministry by setting up Jan Aushadhi Stores and also provide diagnostic services. This initiative has been extended to 60,000 centres across the country for the telemedicine consultation services in the rural areas.

बंधन बैंक

कोलकाता में मुख्यालय वाले बंधन बैंक ने 23 अगस्त 2015 को देश भर में अपनी बैंक शाखाओं को शुरू कर दिया तथा इस प्रकार यह भारत के बैंकिंग क्षेत्र में उतरने वाला नवीनतम खिलाड़ी बन गया। बंधन बैंक तथा आईडीएफसी (IDFC) को भारतीय रिज़र्व बैंक (RBI) ने पिछले साल 2 अप्रैल को सैद्धांतिक रूप से बैंकिंग लाइसेंस प्रदान किया था। कुछ समय पूर्व RBI ने बंधन बैंक को यूनीवर्सल बैंकिंग लाइसेंस (Universal Banking Licence) प्रदान कर उसके भारतीय बैंकिंग क्षेत्र में प्रवेश को अपनी हरी झण्डी दिखा दी थी। 23 अगस्त को कोलकाता के साइंस सिटी ऑडिटोरियम में आयोजित एक कार्यक्रम में केन्द्रीय वित्त मंत्री अरुण जेटली ने बंधन बैंक का उद्घाटन कर इसके बैंकिंग व्यवसाय में प्रवेश की औपचारिकता को पूरा कर दिया। वहीं बंधन बैंक ने भी 501 बैंक शाखाओं के साथ अपना बैंकिंग व्यवसाय शुरू कर बड़े धूम-धड़ाके के साथ अपनी शुरूआत की। यह देश में किसी निजी बैंक के सर्वाधिक शाखाओं के साथ बैंकिंग व्यवसाय शुरू करने का मामला माना जा रहा है। उल्लेखनीय है कि बंधन बैंक की मातृ कंपनी बंधन फाइनेंशियल सर्विसेज (Bandhan Financial Services (BFS) वर्तमान में देश की सबसे बड़ी लघु-वित्त संस्था (micro finance institution (MFI) है। इसके संस्थापक चन्द्र शेखर घोष (Chandra Sekhar Ghosh) हैं जिन्होंने अपनी नौकरी छोड़ कर लघु वित्त क्षेत्र में कूदने का जोखिम उठाया था। उन्होंने अपने शानदार संचालन से बंधन फाइनेंशियल सर्विसेज को कुछ ही दिनों में देश की सबसे बड़ी लघु-वित्त संस्था बना दिया।

Roger Federer

World number two, Roger Federer from Switzerland has won the Cincinnati Masters title for record seventh time in men’s singles title category. In the final match played at Ohio near Cincinnati, US he defeated world number one, Novak Djokovic by 7–6, 7-1 and 6–3 score. Earlier, Roger Federer had won this title in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014. Other Results Women’s Singles Title: Serena Williams (US) won the women’s Singles Title by defeating Simona Halep (Romania) by 6–3, 7–6 and 7–5 score. Men’s Doubles champions Title: Daniel Nestor (Canada) and Édouard Roger-Vasselin (France) pair won by defeating Marcin Matkowski (Poland) and Nenad Zimonjić (Serbia) pair by 6–2, 6–2 score. Women’s Doubles champions Title: Chinese Taipei pair of Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan won by defeating Casey Dellacqua (Australia) and Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) pair by 7–5, 6–4 score. Cincinnati Masters titles: It is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city started in September 1899.  It is the second largest summer tennis event in the after the US Open in US.

यूनानी प्रधानमंत्री एलेक्सिस सिपरस

यूनानी प्रधानमंत्री एलेक्सिस सिपरस (Alexis Tsipras)  प्रधानमंत्री सिपरस ने 20 अगस्त को अपना इस्तीफा राष्ट्रपति प्रोकोपिस पाव्लोपोल्स (Prokopis Pavlopoulos) को सौंप दिया तथा उनसे जल्द से जल्द देश में चुनाव कराने को कहा। अपने इस कदम से वे अपनी सिरीज़ा पार्टी (Syriza Party) में अपने खिलाफ चल रही बगावत को दबाना चाहते हैं जो तबसे शुरू हुई है जबसे यूनान (Greece) ने अपनी अर्थव्यवस्था को बचाने के लिए यूरोपीय देशों के बेल-आउट पैकेज को स्वीकार किया है। उल्लेखनीय है कि देश की आर्थिक प्रणाली को चरमराकर टूटने की स्थिति से बचाने के लिए सिपरस को कर्जदार देशों के कड़वे बेल-आउट पैकेज को स्वीकार करना पड़ा था। हालांकि जनवरी 2015 में वे इसी वादे से देश के प्रधानमंत्री बन कर आए थे कि वे ऐसे पैकेज को देश पर और थोंपने नहीं देंगे। अब उनके इस्तीफे से यूनान में एक बार पुन: राजनीतिक अस्थिरता पैदा हो गई है जबकि देश को इसी दिन से 96 अरब डॉलर के बेल-आउट पैकेज के तहत आर्थिक सहायता मिलनी शुरू हो गई।

Indian Oil Corporatio

Union government has announced to sell 10 per cent stake in state owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). This disinvestment drive on the stock market through an offer for sale (OFS) will fetch Union Government about 9,500 crore rupees to the exchequer. The 10 per cent stake in IOC comprises 24.27 crore shares. Presently, Union government holds around 68.57 per cent shares in IOC which is the biggest oil refining and marketing company in the country. Stake sale of IOC will mark the fourth round of disinvestment drive of Union Government in year 2015. Other three rounds of disinvestment are being in carried in Power Finance Corporation (PFC), Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and Dredging Corporation of India (DCI). So far from these disinvestment drives government has earned around 3,300 crore rupees.

Pakistan and Russia signed

Pakistan and Russia have signed a landmark defence deal including the sale of 4 advance Mi-35 ‘Hind E’ combat helicopters to Pakistan. The agreement was signed by top defence officials from both countries in Rawalpindi as per negotiations for the deal which had taken place in 2014. Earlier in November 2015, both countries had signed a bilateral defence cooperation agreement to strengthen military-to-military relations between them. Mi-35 ‘Hind E’ attack helicopters The Mi-35 helicopter is modernised version of the Mi-24 combat helicopter. It has new advanced onboard equipment and avionics. It is also incorporated with more powerful engine and a different tail rotor. Currently, Pakistan has a number of ‘Mi-17’ combat helicopters. These combat helicopters were delivered to Pakistan by US in order to assist them to fight against growing militancy as part of its special defence package.

Joint Committee on the Inner Line Permit System

Manipur Government has reached an agreement with the Joint Committee on the Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) over the issue of implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) system. It was reached after a marathon talk between the state government and the delegation of JCILPS led by its Convenor in-Charge Khomdram Ratan. This agreement seeks to safeguard the rights of indigenous people of Manipur insertion of five major points in the proposed Draft Bill in this regard. It should be noted that JCILPS is spearheading the movement for implementation of IPL system in this north eastern state. What is Inner Line Permit (ILP) system? The Inner Line Permit system (ILP) is a special pass or permit or quasi visa that is required by Indian citizens to enter protected/restricted area of state for a limited period. Origin: It was introduced by then British India government to protect indigenous tribal people from encroachment into their areas by outsiders. Later, they used it as an instrument to advance the commercial interest. In this case, protected area/restricted area under ILP regime is notified by Union Government and ILP is issued by state governments under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873. This permit or quasi visa regime is presently operational in three northeastern states viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram. Why there is demand to implement ILP System in Manipur? There is long-standing demand of implementing ILP system in Manipur over the issue of son of the soil among the dominant ethnic Meiteis group. There is fear among dominant ethnic group that they may become minority in state due to influx of outsiders especially migrants and also they might lose their ancestral land to these migrants. As per 2001 census, the population size of migrants in the state is nearly equal to the population of dominant ethnic Meiteis group.

India Aspiration Fund

On 18 August Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched two funds the India Aspiration Fund (IAF) and SIDBI Make in India Loan for Enterprises (SMILE) under Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in line to carter funding for start-ups and to aid small enterprises in India. SIDBI under the first fund India Aspiration Fund (IAF) would invest in venture capital funds for meeting the equity requirement of MSME start-ups and for this the initial corpus of Rs. 2,000 crore has been set. Life Insurance Corp. of India (LIC) will be a partner and co-investor in this fund. Under second fund the SIDBI Make in India Loan for Enterprises (SMILE) is a debt-fund which will carter soft term loans to MSMEs to meet debt-to-equity norms and pursue growth opportunities, SIDBI has set Initial corpus of Rs. 10, 000 crore under SMILE fund. Finance Ministry has launched these funds under SIDBI to boost MSME and start-ups under Make in India initiative and expects to create employment for over one lakh person for four to five years. Ministry also intend to move people from overstaffed agriculture sector to areas such as services and manufacturing through MSMEs and start-up which fund their own business and creates employment.

James Tait Black award 2015

Bangladesh novelist Zia Haider Rahman has won James Tait Black award 2015, UK’s oldest literary prize for his first novel, In the Light of What We Know. His debut novel’s story is based on an investment banker in a lead role who receives a visit from an old friend and addresses a whole range of issues including Afghanistan war, the rise of Muslim fundamentalism and global banking crisis. He received this prize at the 2015 Edinburgh international book festival along with Richard Benson who had won this award for his novel The Valley: A Hundred Years in the Life of a Yorkshire Family in the biography category. Rahman was born in the Sylhet region of rural Bangladesh. Later he had migrated to United Kingdom. Prior to shifting to writing career, he had worked as an investment banker and a human rights lawyer. About James Tait Black award It is annual literary award bestowed on person for literature written in the English language in UK and is oldest literary award in the country. Establish: It was instituted in 1919 in memory James Tait Black. It is given in three categories viz. Fiction, Biography and Drama (introduced in 2012) by the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. The award carries monetary prize of 10000 British pounds.

India’s historic Mughal mausoleum Taj Mahal

India’s historic Mughal mausoleum Taj Mahal has ranked fifth position in the prestigious list of most attractive travel hotspot in the world. It was revealed in the recently released Ultimate Travelist of Lonely Planet which has described the monument as a magnificent Mughal masterpiece. Top Four travel hotspot in the world The Temples of Angkor: It was placed at first position in the list. These temples are UNESCO World Heritage site located in northern Cambodia. It has more than 1,000 temples, shrines and tombs which attracts more than 2 million tourists annually. The Great Barrier Reef: A UNESCO World Heritage located in Australia is placed at number two position. Inca city of Machu Picchu: It was placed at third position. It is also UNESCO World Heritage site, located in Peru. Great Wall of China: It was placed at fourth position in the list. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, located in China. Ultimate Travelist of Lonely Planet was compiled based on ideas and voting of travel writers and its staff on their favourites sights which had inspired, enthused and excited them the most.

Sri Lanka General Elections 2015

United National Party (UNP) led United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) has emerged as largest group by winning 106 seats in a 225 member Sri Lankan. Leader of the UNFGG and UNP and current Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to form a new government with the support of 95 MPs of United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) loyal to President Maithripala Sirisena. Background Sri Lankan parliamentary election 2015 was held on 17 August 2015 to elect 225 members to Sri Lanka’s 15th Parliament. The voter turnout for this election was record 77.66 per cent. Seat Allocation: Of the total 225 seats, 196 were to be directly elected from 22 multi-member electoral districts based on open party-list proportional representation method. While, remaining 29 seats are National list seats which are allotted to the parties on basis of their overall votes secured by them. Party wise results United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) – 93 seats were won in direct election and 13 seats in National list. Thus total seats won are 106. United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) – won 83 seats directly won and 12 seats in National list. Thus total seats won are 95. It should be noted that UPFA was led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Tamil National Alliance (TNA)-won 16 seats. They are largest party representing Sri Lankan Tamils. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna– won 6 seats. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress– won 1 seat. Eelam People’s Democratic Party- won 1 seat. Comment With this parliamentary election results, Mahinda Rajapaksa era in Sri Lankan politics came to end as he was seeking to return to power after earlier massive defeat in Presidential elections 2015 (He was defeated by Maithripala Sirisena).

Maharashtra government has roped Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar as its new ambassador for the Tiger Conservation Project. His association will help state government to raise awareness about saving the tigers in the state. In this regard Mr. Tendulkar has accepted an offer which was forwarded by state Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on July 29, 2015 on the eve of World Tiger Day. State government had forwarded this proposal to Mr. Tendulkar after Tiger Protection Foundation approved a proposal of his appointment along with superstar Amitabh Bachchan as ambassador to promote the Save Tiger campaign in July 2015. Earlier Mr. Amitabh Bachchan had accepted the request from the government and met the minister to discuss details of his role and involvement in the project. Tiger Conservation in Maharashtra Currently, Maharashtra state has six tiger reserves viz. Tadoba, Melghat, Pench, Nagzira, Sahyadri and Bor. It should be noted that except Sahyadri tiger reserve (located in Kokan region) remaining 5 are located in Vidharbha region of state. Maharashtra has recorded around 190 tigers as per the 2014 Tiger census (usually conducted every four years). Tiger population has recorded a steady rise from 103 in 2006 to 169 in 2010. The increase population of Tigers in state has been attributed to the successful implementation of various conservation efforts.

foodgrain production have decline

As per the fourth advance estimate released by Agriculture Ministry on 17 August, the estimated foodgrain production have declined by 4.66 per cent to 252.68 million tonnes (MT) in 2014-15 crop year due to poor monsoon and unseasonal rains. The estimate includes Wheat, rice, coarse cereals and pulses in the foodgrain basket. Key Facts for Foodgrain Production 2014-15: The estimated foodgrain production for 2014-15 has lower by 12.36 MT to 252.68 MT  as against record production of 265.04 MT achieved in 2013-14. Rice output has declined to 104.80 MT as against the record output of 106.65 MT in the previous year. Wheat production has fallen to 88.94 MT as against a record 95.85 MT achieved in the previous year. Coarse cereals output have declined to 41.75 MT as against 43.29 MT in the previous year. Pulses and oilseeds output have dropped to 17.20 MT and 26.68 MT respectively as against 19.25 MT and 32.74 MT achieved in the previous year. Cotton output has also declined marginally to 35.48 million bales (of 170 kgs each) from 35.80 million bales in the previous year. Jute output too fell to 11.45 million bales (of 180 kg each) from 11.69 million bales in the period under the review. Sugarcane output is estimated to have risen to 359.33 MT as against 352.21 MT in the said period last year. Reason for declined production: The reason for declined production is due to 12 per cent deficit monsoon in 2014-15 kharif season and unseasonal rains/hailstorms during February-March 2015 that affected rabi season production.

कोका कोला के सोशल एंबेसडर बने सौरव गांगुली

i.पेय पदार्थ निर्माता कंपनी कोका कोला इंडिया ने टीम इंडिया के पूर्व कप्तान सौरव गांगुली को तीन वर्ष के लिए सोशल एंबेसडर नियुक्त किया है। कंपनी का इससे पहले मास्टर ब्लास्टर सचिन तेंदुलकर के साथ करार था जो पिछले वर्ष खत्म हो गया था।ii.कोका कोला इंडिया और दक्षिण पश्चिम एशिया के उपाध्यक्ष देवव्रत मुखर्जी ने कहा कि गांगुली अब हमारे साथ जुड़ गए हैं और वह 2017 में देश में होने वाले फीफा अंडर-17 विश्व कप में हमारी कमान संभालेंगे।iii.इस कंपनी ने सचिन तेंदुलकर को 12 करोड़ रुपए मे अनुबंधित किया था लेकिन कंपनी ने उस राशि का खुलासा नहीं किया जिसमें उसने गांगुली को अनुबंधित किया है। गांगुली आईपीएल संचालन समिति के सदस्य है और वे लोढ़ा समिति की रिपोर्ट के अध्ययन के लिए गठित बीसीसीआई के कार्यसमूह के सदस्य भी हैं।

साइकिल इंडस्ट्री के पायनियर ओपी मुंजाल का निधन

i.आम आदमी तक साइकिल की पहुंच बनाने वाले ओ.पी.मुंजाल अब इस दुनिया में नहीं रहे। साइकिल इंडस्ट्री के पायनियर और हीरो साइकिल्‍स के फाउंडर एवं सीएमडी ओपी मुंजाल का गुरुवार सुबह 87 साल की उम्र में लुधियाना में निधन हो गया।
ii.मुंजाल का उसी शहर में निधन हुआ जिसे उन्होंने साइकिल इंडस्ट्री के जरिए दुनिया में पहचान दिलाई। पाकिस्तान से साल 1944 में भारत आए मुंजाल के बिजनेस स्किल का कमाल है, आज लुधियाना में साइकिल इंडस्ट्री का पूरा इकोसिस्टम खड़ा हो गया है। जिससे लाखों लोगो को रोजगार मिला है।

Acharya Dev Vrat was sworn in as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh at oath taking ceremony held in Raj Bhawan, Shimla. He is 27th Governor and 18th regular Governor of the Himachal Pradesh, since it was granted full statehood in 1971. Vrat took his oath of office in Sanskrit and it was administered by Chief Justice of the Himachal High Court, Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir as per provisions of Article 159 of Constitution. About Acharya Dev Vrat Acharya Dev Vrat is an eminent educationist and hails from Haryana. He was born on 18 January 1959. He holds double post-graduate in History and Hindi from the Punjab and Kurukshetra University, respectively. He also has studied Naturopathy and Yogic Science. He has served as Principal (Pracharya) in Samprati Gurukul, Kurukshetra for 34 years and had been actively involved in social activities including girl’s education, promotion of Yoga, Ayurveda and naturopathy and environment protection. He has also authored several books including Gurukul Kurukshetra ka Gauravshali Itihaas, Swasthya ka Anmol Marg – Prakritik Chikitsa (Hindi and English editions) besides, editing various magazines and translation works.

The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the spectrum sharing guidelines

The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the spectrum sharing guidelines based on the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The decision is part of Union Government’s commitment to improve spectral efficiency and quality of telecom service across the country. As per the TRAI guidelines Spectrum sharing will be allowed only for the access service providers in the first instance in a Licensed Service Area (LSA). In this case both spectrum license holders should have spectrum in the same band and have paid market price for it. Access of all spectrums including traded spectrums will be sharable provided that both license holders having spectrum in the same band. Leasing of spectrum between different service providers has been prohibited. In case of charging Spectrum Usage Charges (SUC) license holders should share their entire spectrum holding in the particular band in the entire LSA. Implications: Presently, telecom operators are allowed to share passive infrastructure like mobile towers only. This decision will pave way for telecom operators to share their unused spectrum which in turn will enhance network quality and reduce operational costs.

All India Institute of Ayurveda

Union government has given nod to set up of All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) for imparting Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Ph.D level education in the field of traditional medicine. It was announced by Minister of State (MoS) of AYUSH Ministry, Shripad Yesso Naik in a written reply to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha. AIIA will be located at Sarita Vihar in New Delhi. It will be the apex institute of ayurveda with 200 bedded referral hospital for imparting postgraduate and doctoral education in the field of Ayurveda. Apart from this, it was also announced that Union Government has set up Research Councils and implemented a Central Scheme of Extramural Research. These councils seek to undertake and support research and development (R&D) activities including development of drugs in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy. There are around 80 units of the 4 Research Councils which are functioning across the country. They will be provided with facilities and environment for development and discovery of such drugs, which are different from the classical formulations mentioned in the authoritative books.

347 flora, 424 fauna species discovered in 2013-14: Government

Union Government has announced that 424 species of fauna and 347 species of flora including 2 reptiles have been discovered in the country in 2013-2014. It was announced by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The written reply mentioned that   These species were discovered by scientists and taxonomists of Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in the year 2013-14. Details of these discovered plant species have been published as ‘Plant Discoveries 2013′ and ‘Plant Discoveries 2014′ published by BSI. While that of animal species has been published in ‘Animal discoveries 2013′ and ‘Animal Discoveries 2014′ published by ZSI. 2 new species of reptiles have been discovered for the first time in the country. They are ‘Rhinophis goweri’ discovered in Noolathu Kombai, Bodamalai hills and ‘Boiga flaviviridis’ discovered in Berahampur, Odisha. India is known for its rich biological diversity and high endemism. It ranks among the top ten species rich nations in the world. As per BSI there are about 47,791 species of plants in India, while as per ZSI studies there are over 96,000 species of animals in the country. All endangered species in India are protected under section 38 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

Total forest cover in India as per the recently released

As per India State of Forest Report – 2013, the total forest cover in the country is 697,898 square kilometers which is 21.23% of the total geographical area of the country. There is a net increase of 5871 square kilometers in the forest cover of the country as compared with India State of Forest Report – 2011. It is also a fact that the density of population has increased in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand.

Airtel commercially Launches India’s first 4G services

On 6 August 2015 India’s telecom giant Airtel has commercially launched the high-speed 4G services across 296 towns across India . In April 2012 Bharti Airtel had first launched its 4G service in Kolkata and from then conducted trials in 51 cities. For the 4G devices Airtel has join hands with mobile handset maker Samsung to develop and provide 4G-enabled handsets in affordable price. It should be noted that it is Airtel who has built first commercial 4G network in India that has brought high speed mobile broadband into reality. Note: Competitor to Airtel in 4G service is Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Jio who has bid aggressively for 4G spectrum and it is expected to launch more affordable 4G service with lowered priced handsets than Airtel by end of this year.

ISRO to launch 9 nano/micro US satellites

During the 2015-16 time frame, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be launching 9 nano/ micro satellites of United States (US). This will be the first time in ISRO’s history it will launch US satellites. In this regard the commercial arm of ISRO, Antrix Corporation Ltd has signed agreement to US. For this mission the apex space agency of India will be using its indigenous workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). It should be noted that, till date ISRO has launched around 45 satellites belonging to international customers from 19 countries using PSLV. Apart from this ISRO also announced that first Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstration (RLV-TD) will be held at the end 2015. RLV-TD comprising series of technology demonstration missions which us considered as a first step towards realising the potential of Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO) fully re-usable launch vehicle.

Lok Sabha passes Negotiable Instruments

Lok Sabha has passed Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill 2015 by a voice vote. The bill seeks to amend The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 in order to make cheque-bounce filing of cases more convenient for check payees (person who receives the cheque). The bill also seeks to replace an ordinance which was re-promulgated in this regard earlier in May 2015 after it was not passed in Rajya Sabha, though it was passed by the Lok Sabha in the May 2015. Key features of Bill Adds provision to specify the territorial jurisdiction of the courts in cases related to bouncing of cheques which was not present in the parent Act. It says that cases in this regard need to be filed only in a court in whose jurisdiction the bank branch of the payee lies. It also adds provision related to more than one case is filed against the same person before different courts for bouncing of cheques. In this matter, the case will be transferred to the court that has appropriate jurisdiction. The bill also amends the definition of cheque. Redefines cheque in the electronic form which is signed in a secure system with a digital signature or using electronic system and drawn in electronic medium using any computer resource. It should be noted that, these amendments to parent Act seek to overturn a Supreme Court’s earlier unfriendly check payee ruling of August 2014. The ruling given by court had mentioned that cases on the persons who have defaulted their cheque payments could only be filed in courts under which jurisdiction of the bank account of the accused fell. About Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 The Act defines bills of exchange, promissory notes, cheques and creates penalties for issues such as bouncing of cheques. It also specifies circumstances under which complaints for cheque bouncing can be filed.  in 2015 Current Affairs, Banking Current Affairs 2015, Bills and Acts in Current Affairs, National Current Affairs 2015

Happiness of Bhutan

The Gross National Happiness (GNH)

The Gross National Happiness Index (GNH) offers an alternate way to measure progress of a country - in fact, a better way. It believes that for development to be sustainable it should take a holistic approach by giving equal importance to non-economic aspects of human well-being also. Therefore, the GNH includes spiritual, physical and social well-being of people as well as health of the environmental.

The idea of GNH was first proposed in 1972 by Bhutan's former king, Jigme Singye Wangchuk. Since then enhancing people’s happiness has been the prime goal of the government. In 1999, the Center for Bhutan Studies (CBS) was established as an autonomous research institute for the purpose of ‘promoting and deepening the understanding of Gross National Happiness’. It also helps policymakers define development strategies to promote the GNH and check that no policy is going against the guiding principle of GNH. The center conceived the idea of quantifying happiness in the form of a Gross National Happiness Index and came up with 9 domains of well-being to be probed by 33 indicators. Thus, GNHI makes it possible to quantify happiness!

The nine domains of GNH are:

1) Psychological well-being
2) Health
3) Time use
4) Education
5) Cultural diversity and resilience
6) Good governance
7) Community vitality
8) Ecological diversity and resilience
9) Living standard

These nine domains actually come from the four pillars (or dimensions) of GNH: 1) Sustainable and Equitable Socio-Economic Development, 2) Conservation of the Environment, 3) Preservation and Promotion of Culture and 4) Good Governance. These are broad foundations of the GNH.

In 2004, Bhutan held an international seminar on GNH. According to the permanent mission of Bhutan in the UN, since the 2004 seminar the GNH became a standard in Bhutan and "a bridge between the fundamental values of kindness, equality, and humanity and the necessary pursuit of economic growth."

The first official GNH pilot survey was conducted in 2006-2007 which showed that over 68% of Bhutan's people were happy and rated income, family, health and spirituality as their most important requirements for happiness